Traditional consumer electronic devices have substantially fixed functionality. Devices such as cell phones, digital audio players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), global positioning satellite (GPS) terminals, etc., are designed, manufactured and marketed as a specific type of device with a specific feature set. Typically, a manufacturer of a new device makes decisions at the very outset of design or manufacturing as to what functions the device will perform, which standards (e.g., communication transfer standard, data format standard, etc.) the device will be compatible with, etc. This requires selection of appropriate integrated circuit (IC) chips, or the design of new chips and circuitry.
A next step in manufacturing the device is the “board-level” design and assembly. The IC chips are arranged with other circuitry, user controls, connectors, etc., on a singular assembly such as a printed-circuit (PC) board. Typically, a new design is needed for each new device as different chips and other components are being used.
Next, a chassis designer and manufacturer is used to create and enclose the assembly in a housing, or shell. Again, this is a customized step as the packaging for a new board assembly is usually unique. After the assembly is incorporated into the housing package the device is physically completed.
Often times it is desirable to change the product based upon location and time. For example, at a sporting event, concert or other entertainment activity it may be desired to provide certain information to users of a hardware device such as a telephone, PDA or the like for advertising, promotional or other reasons. Present hardware devices are not easily adaptable for such purposes.
Accordingly, what is desired is to provide a hardware device which can be adequately changed based upon location and/or time. The present invention addresses such a need.